This invention pertains to absorbent materials or structures, and more particularly to a stretchable absorbent composite for absorbing and retaining liquids.
Various types of absorbent structures presently exist, and include single and multilayer structures comprising materials such as cellulosic fluff, synthetic fibers, blends of fluff and synthetic fibers, and these various structures with superabsorbent materials. Some of the important characteristics or features these structures should preferably possess are rapid transfer rates and absorbent rates, high capacity, high retention, dry flexibility and wet flexibility, dry integrity and wet integrity, and low flowback properties.
One of the recurring problems with current absorbent structures is that they sacrifice one or more of the above characteristics or features in order to possess or increase the effect of others. For example, absorbency generally can be maximized by a combination of fluff and superabsorbent material, but one of the problems with this combination is its integrity. When dry, the fluff tends to be redistributed by the movement or activities of the wearer, thereby decreasing its absorbency in the areas of maximum wetting. Similarly, after wetting, the combination tends to gather or cluster into separate masses or lumps of wetted fluff, which are very uncomfortable and visibly embarrassing to the wearer.
One solution to the above problem is to provide a mechanism that maintains the integrity of the absorbent material, such as introducing amounts of binders, synthetic fibers or the like. Though this may increase dry and wet integrity, it generally causes a decrease in absorbency and in flexibility, which to the wearer translates into a relatively stiff-feeling material or structure.